Freezing tray



Nov. 7, '1944.- c. H. STEENSTRUP 2,362,320

' FREEZING TRAY Filed June 18, 1958 nvefitor'. Carl 'HSte enstrup,

Attorney.

Patented Nov. 7, 1944 FREEZING TRAY Carl H.Steenstrup, Schenectady, N. Y., assignor to General Electric Company, a. corporation of New York Application June 18, 1938, Serial No. 214,475

9 Claims. (Cl. 62-1085) My invention relates to freezing trays for refrigerating machines, and particularly to freezing trays provided with partition assemblies having movable elements for facilitating the release of ice blocks.

It is an object of my invention to provide a removable partition assembly for freezing trays including a plurality of movable partition elements and an improved arrangement for facilitating the release of ice blocks from the partrtion elements.

Another object of my invention is to provide a a freezing tray having a removable partition assembly and an improved arrangement for retain= ing the assembly in position during the freezing of substances therein.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds, and the features of novelty which characterize-myinvention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.

For a better understanding of my invention, reference may be had to the accompanying draw ing in which Fig. l is a perspective view partly in section showing a freezing tray and partition assembly embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a with respect to one another in the plane of the longitudinal partition. In order to maintain the partition assembly in-position during the freezvit) perspective view of' a transverse partition element and two cooperating elements and tie pin of the assembly shown in Fig. 1, the elements being shown separately prior to assembly; Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation view of the freezing tray shown in Fig. 1 with the partition assembly shown in full and with ice blocks shown in the positions in which they are frozen; and Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing the assembly in full and in position during removal of ice blocks therefrom.

Referring now to the drawing, I have shown an elongated freezing tray l0 within which is arranged a partition assembly comprising a plurality of longitudinal partition elements II, He and ilb providing a partition extending the length of the tray and a plurality of transverse partition elements l2 cooperating with the longitudinaiielements and with each other to form a pluraity of pairs of ice block compartments. The longitudinal elements Ho and lib are at the ends of the tray and conform tothe end walls. The transverse elements l2 are pivotaliy mounted in the longitudinal elements and are, therefore, angularly movable with respect to each. other. The partition elements i areytherefore. pivotally mounted on the trans! verse elements and'are also anguiarly movable ing of water to form ice blocks in the compartments, I provide a hook l3 pivoted at I4 to the partition element Ila at the rear end of the tray and an arm l5 pivoted at IE to the longitudinal partition element lib at the forward end of the tray. The arm i5 projects over the end of the ice tray and engages a flange ii of the tray as indicated at it, and the hook i3 also engages the flange H at the rear end of thetray. The arm i5 and the hook l3 thus cooperate to maintain the partition assembly in position in the tray against forces which may tend to lift the assembly during the freezing of water. The construction and arrangement of the partition elements ii and i2 are clearly shown in Fig. 2. Each longitudinal element ii is cut in the shape of a letter T formed by extensions l9 and 20 at the back and front edges respectively, as viewed in Figs. 1 and 2, the extensions having downwardly.

projecting portions. In alignment with the front and back edges and in the extensions l9 'and2li are provided holes 2| and 22. The transverse elements :2 are provided with substantially cylin drical hollow reinforcing ribs 23 formed along the top edges thereof and a notch 24 extendingv through the ribs 28 at the top of each element. In order to mount the longitudinal elements ii and the transverse elements for pivotal movement with respect to each other, the hole 2! of one element H and the hole 22 of the other are aligned with the hollowportion or bore of the reinforcing rib is and a pin 25 is driven through the rib 23 until it passes through the holes 2| and 22 and secures the longitudinal elements in I, i la and Ho,

place in the notch 24. It is thus evident that a partition assembly of any desired length may be built up from a series of partitions II and i2. The partitions Ho and Nb at the ends of the assembly are shaped to conform with the walls of the ice tray but the sides thereof connected to the assembly are identical to the corresponding sides of the other longitudinal elements.

The back edge of each of the elements II and of the element lib is provided with projections or lugs extending transversely on either side of the'element and normal thereto. These proiections rest against the adjacent transverse element l2 when the partition assembly is in place in the tray. The function of the projections 26 is to break the ice blocks free from the transverse partitions [2 in a manner to be described die 21 which may be pulled forward to rotate the arm about the pivot IS. The initial rotation of the arm from the position in which it is shown in Fig, 3 forces the lower end of the arm indicated at 28 downwardly against the freezing shelf or other supporting surface as-indicated by the dotted lines, and will break a frozen bond between the freezing tray and the supporting surface. The tray may then be removed from the freezing compartment or evaporator shelf and placed on a table or other convenient support. In order to release the ice blocks from the tray and from the partition assembly, the handle I5 is first rotated about the pin l6 until an end 29 of the handle contacts the upper edge of the wall of the freezing tray; further movement of the arm I5 exerts a force between the pin l6 and the tray tending to lift the partition ele-' ment llb out of the tray and to rotate the element I lb about the adjacent pin 25 and break the ice blocks in the compartments oneither v the handle ll exerts a downward force on the block of ice on the other side from the block broken free by the element 20 and thus both blocks are broken free from all partition elements and from the tray in the first-pair of compartments. Further rotation of the element llb and the adjacent element H which may be produced by pulling the handle upwardly and backwardly along the tray as shown in Fig. 4 will break loose the ice blocks in each pair of compartments in turn, the function of the end 29 of the arm H in breaking loose the ice block from the longitudinal element llb in the first compartment being performed by the projections 19 on the elements in succeeding compartments. The projections 26 on either side of the back edges of the longitudinal elements H and llb are particularly effective in breaking the ice cubes free from. the transverse partition elements It, and it has been found that this provides a more positive and effective release of the blocks. The action of the projections l9 has been indicated clearly in Fig. 4, in which an ice block-30 is shown as just being released from one com-z partment while the projection I9 is pressing into the ice block in the adjacent compartment.

It is readily apparent that any desired number of pairs of ice blocks may be removed from the freezing tray by manipulation of the partition assembly as described above. The entire contents of the tray may be removed quickly by'pulling the arm [5 toward the rear of the tray until the last blocks have been released. The hook I3 is also useful to maintain the freezing assembly attached to the tray so that chips of ice or ice blocks are not thrown out during the release of the last pair of blocks since the hook prevents the sudden jerking of the entire assembly away from the tray.

From the foregoing, it is evident that have Q provided a partition assembly of simple and rusged construction for removing ice blocks from a freezing tray without first breaking the frozen bond by heating the tray, and further that I have provided a partition assembly comprising a pinrality of relatively movable elements which is nevertheless maintained in position in the tray regardless of forces exerted during the freezing of water in the tray which tend to'liftthe.

assembly therefrom.

- While I have described a particular embodiment of my invention in connection with a freezing tray for household refrigerators, other applications will readily be apparent to those skilled in the art. I do not, therefore, desire my invention to be limited to the particular construction shown and described, and I intend in the accompanying claims to cover all modifications within the spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent of the United States is:

l. A removable partition assembly for a freezing tray including a. plurality of alined longitudinal partition elements and a plurality of transverse partition elements arranged between said longitudinal elements, said longitudinal and transverse elements cooperating to form side walls of a. plurality of ice block compartments, means for retaining said partition elements in assembled relation and for affording relative bodily movement between said elements, said longitudinal elements being angularly movable with respect to each other in their plane of alinement, means adapted to move said elements with respect to each other for breaking a frozen bond between said partition elements and ice blocks frozen between said compartment walls, and means including lateral projections on each of said longitudinal elements for facilitating the breaking of the frozen bond formed between said blocks in the compartments on either side of each said longitudinal element and the adjacent ones of said transverse members constituting walls of the same compartments.

2. A removable partition assembly for a freezing tray including a plurality of alined longitudinal partition elements and a plurality of transverse partition element's arrangedbetween said longitudinal elements, said longitudinal and transverse elements cooperating to form a plurality of side walls of ice block compartments, means for retaining said partition elements in assembled relation and for affording relative bodily movement between said elements, said longitudinal elements being angularly movable with respect to each other in their plane of alinement, means adapted to move said elements with respect to each other for breaking a frozen bond between said partition elements and ice blocks frozen'between said compartment walls, said last-mentioned means including a rigid extension on each' of said longitudinal partition elements arranged to exert pressure upon the upper portion of an ice block frozen to another of said longitudinal elements when said longitudinal elements are moved an'gularly with respect to one another, and means including projections on each of said longitudinal elements near the lower end thereof for facilitating the breaking of the frozen bond between said blocks and the adjacent ones of said transverse members.

3. A removable partition assembly for a' freezing tray including a plurality of similar partition elements cooperating to form a plurality of elements in assembled relation and for ail'ording relative bodily movementbe'tween said elements to facilitate'the release of ice blocks from said compartments, manually operable means for applyingv force to break the frozen bonds between said elements and the ice blocks'in said com partments successively from one end of said as-' sembly to the other, and means secured to said other end of said assembly for engaging the end wall of an ice tray to anchor said other end aseaaeo I between'saidtray and its support, and said arm .having another portion adapted upon a" further pivotal movement of said arm'to initiate. the release of at least one ice block from said tray,

and means including a hook secured to said assembly at. the end remote from said arm and adapted to engage the-end wall of said tray for anchoring said remote endof said assembly durof said assembly with respect to the tray during operation of said manually'operable means.

4. In combination with a freezing tray, a removable partition assembly including a plural:

ity of partition elements cooperating to form.

a plurality of ice block compartments in the tray, and a movable arm secured to'one end of said assembly and having a portion adapted to lie in a position adjacent a surface on which the freezing tray is supported, said arm being ing the removal of the ice blocks from said compartments.

. 7. In combinationwitha freezing-tray, a removable partition assembly including a plurality of separate partition elements cooperating with the walls of said tray tov form a plurality of ice block compartments, and a movable arm pivotally mounted on one end of said assembly and having a portion overhanging said tray for efl'ecting the release of ice blocks from said tray adapted to lock said assembly to the freezing tray and on an initial movement to break a frozen bond between the freezing tray and its supporting surface and on further 'movement to effect therelease fro-m said tray of an ice' block in one of said compartments.

5. In combination with a freezing tray, a partition assembly comprising'a plurality of relatively movable partition elements cooperating with the walls of said tray to form a plurality.

of ice block compartments,-and manually operable means including an arm pivotally mounted on said assembly at one end thereof for breaka frozen bond between said tray and a supporting surface and for effecting a'release of ice blocks from said compartments, said arm having a portion occupyinga normal position of rest, near the lower edge of said tray'and being adapted in its normal position to lock said assembly in said tray and on an initial pivotal movement thereof from its position of rest to means including an arm pivotally mounted on.

said assembly at one end thereof for locking said assembly in said tray and for breakinga frozen bond between said tray and a supporting surface and for eflecting a release of ice blocks from said compartments, said am having a portion occupying a normal position of rest near the lower edge of'said tray to lock said assemblyin said tray and being adapted I on an initial pivotal movement thereof fromits position of rest to break the frozen bond and said assembly successively from said one end of said tray to the other end thereof, said arm being adapted to lock said assembly in said tray and on pivotal movement from its locking position to efiect the release from said tray of at least one of theice blocks in said compartments.

8. In combination with a freezing tray, a removable partition assembly including a plurality of separate partition elements cooperating with the. walls of said tray to form a plurality.

of ice. block compartments, means including a movable arm pivotally mounted one one end of said assembly and having a portion overhanging said tray for effecting the release of ice blocks from said tray and said assembly successively from one said end of said tray to the other end thereof, said arm being adapted to lock said assembly in said tray and onpivotal movement from its locking position to eflect the release from said tray of at least one of the ice blocks in said compartments, and means including a hook secured to said other end of said assembly for engagingsaid tray to prevent longitudinal movement of said, assembly in said tray during operation of; said arm to release ice blocks from said tray.

9. A removable partition assembly for freezing.

trays including a plurality of substantially parallel transverse partition elements spaced from one another to provide a plurality of side walls of ice block compartments, substantially cylindrical hollow reinforcing ribs formed along the tops .of said elements, means including longitudinally arranged links for movably connecting said transverse elements to form a unitary grid the separate elements of which may be moved relatively to one another for facilitating the breaking of frozen bonds between said elements and ice blocks frozen between said compartment walls, said lastmentioned means including pins retained within said ribs and engaging said links for securing said links to said elements.

cam. 11. s'mrms'mur. 

